Welcome to Prog's brand new Tracks Of The Week! We've got seven new and diverse slices of progressively inclined music for you to enjoy.
Congratulations to fast-rising Colombian prog rock quartet Argovia whose latest single, Unstoppable, romped home in last week's TOTW, the same week their new album, Primal Repetition, was released. Evergrey came in second with Brighton's School Disco in third place.
The premise is simple - we've collated a batch of new releases by bands falling under the progressive umbrella, and collated them together in one post for you - makes it so much easier than having to dip in and out of various individual posts, doesn't it? The idea is to watch the videos (or listen if it's a stream), enjoy (or not) and also to vote for your favourite in the voting form at the bottom of this post.
Article continues belowCouldn't be easier, could it? We'll be bringing you Tracks Of The Week, as the title implies, each week. Next week we'll update you with this week's winner and present a host of new prog music for you to enjoy.
If you're a band and you want to be featured in Prog's Tracks Of The Week, send your video (as a YouTube link) or track embed, band photo and biog to us here.
THE ANCHORESS - I HAD A BABY NOT A LOBOTOMY
Prog Award winner The Anchoress returns with her first new music in six years, with I Had A Baby Not A Lobotomy, a pulsing slice of infectious prog pop, performed on Pete Townshend's vintage synth collection. It's the first taste of her upcoming third studio album, As We Once Were, which follows on from 2020's celebrated The Art Of Losing. Chock full of Catherine Anne-Davies' trademark intelligence and sly humour, the new single also features the equally Prog-approved Gwenno on backing vocals.
Davies says the new single is “a tongue-in-cheek litany of all the stupid things people said to me when I had a baby” as well as “an anthem for anyone who has ever been written off for daring to procreate”.
MATT BERRY TRIO - EVERYTHING'S PEACHY PT. 8
Matt Berry's upcoming release is the second in his label Acid Jazz's The Jazz Sessions series, for which he assembled a trio along with long-time collaborators Phil Scragg and Graham Mann and takes a musical journey from Satie to Miles Davis. Everything's Peachy is a 12-part instrumental suite, Pt. 8 of which is here for your listening pleasure, a treat for anyone who likes the proggier end of jazz or a dollop of fusion.
The whole thing has been inspired (as was Gazpacho's recent single, Sky King), by American folk hero Richard 'Beebo’ Russell, who stole a large aircraft with no flight training, performing stunts and manoeuvres, before crashing to his own demise on a deserted island in Puget Soudn near Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, and takes its name from his response to air traffic control.
BLUENECK - MOUTH OF THE SNAKE
Bristol post-rockers Blueneck have returned after a decade away, with their first new studio music since 2016's The Outpost. Mouth Of The Snake is a suitably slow-building slice of ambient-leaning prog music, that resounds with a hauntingly catchy melody that wouldn't be out of place on a Pineapple Thief record. The band announce details of their next album in May. Can't wait...
"It's been a while," mainman Duncan Attwood says. "Today we've released Mouth Of The Snake, taken from the forthcoming new album to be released in the Summer (announcement in May). You can find the track on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube etc... Let us know what you think... We've missed you."
MILLION MOONS - BLACK SUN RISING
Thanks to a tip from our good friend Béla Alabástrom, we found Black Sun Rising, the brand new single from London post-rock quartet Million Moons sitting in our inbox, and what a joy of a single it is too. The first new music to be released ahead of the band's upcoming and as-yet-untitled third studio album (which will be released through Ripcord Records in the UK), and what a joy it is too, building impressively into a towering crescendo of sound that is definitely most pleasing on the ears.
"This track was inspired by Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, which warns of the impact of humanity’s use of pesticides and other industrial processes on the natural world," the band say. "The title comes from the Danish word for murmuration – “sort sol” – which translates to black sun in English."
MAGENTA - THE EMPRESS
Welsh proggers Magenta have shared the third and final promo video from their brand new album, Tarot, for The Empress. It's Magenta's first new studio album for six years, following on from 2020's Master Of Illusion, and once again, Reed has tweaked the band's sound, this time under the influence of Renaissance, which one can hear in the folkier influences on The Empress, while an infectious little hook really draws the listener in.
"There has been a great reaction to the album," enthuses Reed. "I think because we haven’t released a full album for five years the album has really gained traction. Having worked on it for two years, you never know what people are gonna make of it, but for me it's the most coherent Magenta album from start to finish that we have released. It sounds like one band from start to finish.
“The Empress, is one of my favourite tracks from the album. It really captures the sound of the album, and features an amazing 'one take' guitar solo from Chris Fry. I also do my best Chris Squire impression on bass."
SOEN - AXIS
Swedish prog metallers Soen have always walked a line between progressive finesse and metallic heft as they move away from early Tool and Opeth comparisons to establish their definitive 'Soen sound'. Both worlds collide perfectly on their latest single Axis, which you'll find on their rather good new album, Reliance, and you'll undoubtedly be able to hear it performed live across the UK and EU in November and December when the band will be touring.
“Axis is about the moment when you start to notice that the roles you’re given don’t really belong to you,” explains vocalist Joel Ekelöf. “It’s about stepping beyond that distance we learn to live with, and remembering there’s something stronger underneath it. The fire is already there. The question is if we’re willing to stand closer and follow it together.”
PRINCE OF FAILURE - HORIZON
Prince of Failure is the new collaborative project featuring TesseracT singerDaniel Tompkins and Paul Ortiz from Chimp Spanner, and Horizon is the first new music we've heard from the pair. The new single also features a guest spot from Daedric's Kristyn Hope and is taken from the duo's self-titled debut album, out through Kscope on June 19. If the genre-busting single, blending banging pop, crushing metal and atmospheric prog, is anything to go by, the upcoming album's going to be a real treat.
"Horizon captures the moment where everything feels like it’s collapsing around you, but something inside is still pushing you forward," Tompkins explains. "Within the wider story of the album it marks the beginning of the transformation - the point where the protagonist is forced to confront the weight of his own doubts and the expectations placed on him. Having Kristyn Hope on the track added another emotional dimension; her voice almost feels like a guiding presence cutting through the chaos."
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